The Fujitsu Digital Innovation Award: NATS

Award Type:

Technology is at the heart of NATS’ response to more efficient and less impactful flights

Action and ImpactThe UK aviation industry is the third largest aviation network in the world and the second largest manufacturing centre, contributing £50 billion to GDP and employing around one million people. In the UK, NATS is the leading air navigation service provider providing air traffic control services for more than 2.5 million flights each year and up to 8,000 flights a day across UK and North Atlantic airspace, as well as at 14 of the busiest UK airports.

Right now, NATS is leading a digital transformation to fundamentally improve its business. The data and technology being deployed is enabling the organisation to improve capacity and safety in some of the busiest airspaces in the world, at the same time as reducing noise, emissions and fuel burn.

For example, the Cross-border Extended Arrival Management system sees controllers from Britain, Ireland, France and the Netherlands working together to slow down aircraft approaching Heathrow to help minimise delays on arrival and cut the amount of time aircraft circle in holding stacks. To date, it has reduced holding by an average of just under a minute per flight – that’s 115,000 minutes less holding every year, as well as and 4,500 tonnes of fuel burn and 15,000 tonnes of CO2.